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Irkutsk is the second largest city in East and West Siberia. It is located at the northern end of Lake Berga. The intersection of the Angara River and the Irkutsk River. It has a continental climate and has a long period of cold. It is called the "heart of Siberia". Irkutsk has played different roles in the nearly 250 years of history, including Siberia's investigation base, exile place and gold rush city. In the late 19th century, gold mines were discovered in the Lena River, and the gold rush in Siberia began. People rushed here to call it rich. From 1661 to 1669, it became a fortress city in Siberia, and in 1764, it became the capital of East and West Siberia. In the 19th century, it became an important transportation point for trade between the Empire and Russia and China. River ports and railways rose with the opening of the Siberian railway and the mining of nearby coal fields.
Annuchin, the current governor of East and West Siberia (written as Muravyov, now changed) ruled the snowy land for Tsar Nicholas II.
In the Irkutsk Governor's Office, Governor Anuchin was meeting with Lieutenant General Vlakielmier, the commander of the East and West Siberian army. Lieutenant General Vladimir was one of the important assistants of Governor Anuchin. The tasks assigned to them by the Tsar, in addition to maintaining the stability of this area, also demanded continued expansion to the south. Siberia was too cold, and the Russians needed warm land in the south.
"General Vladimir, he had just received a telegram from Shishma Levli, the Consul in Kulun. The rebellion of the Mongolians has been quelled, but the Mongolian princes asked us to send troops to help them. Should we seize this opportunity and expand southward?" asked Governor Annuchin.
"Of course, Governor, my army is ready. Although the weak Mongols were suppressed, their invitation gave us the best excuse. We may take the opportunity to include Mongolia in our rule. For example, how wonderful it is to establish a Mongolia protected by Russia!" Lieutenant General Vladimir said with his eyes shining. He had long wanted to transfer back to Moscow. In Irkutsk, although his position and power are high, it is too barren to match Moscow at all. Lieutenant General Vladimir hopes to make achievements and then transfer back to Moscow. If he is not good, he will be transferred back to Europe. He does not want to continue to stay in places like East and West Siberia.
"However, the Chinese deployed 20,000 troops in Mongolia. When we enter Mongolia, we will definitely be counterattacked by them. In this way, it may trigger a war between our two countries. According to the Treaty of the Pacific Alliance, Japan and the United States will also declare war on China. In this way, we will ignite the war. Now, the Siberian Railway has not been fully completed and the empire is not ready. If we provoke a war now, it will probably be unfavorable to us!" Governor Annuchin was a little worried. As a senior Russian official, he naturally knew that the Pacific Alliance was concluded to start a war with China after 1900, not 1899!
"Governor, this is a good opportunity for us. If we let it go, it will be difficult to have such an opportunity again. The railway from Beijing to Kulun built by the Chinese has been opened. Next spring, they will send troops into Mongolia on a large scale. At that time, it will not be so easy for us to occupy Mongolia!" Lieutenant General Vladimir persuaded. He had already deployed the two divisions of troops in Chaktu. As long as the order was issued, he could cross the border and attack the Massachusett. The Zhong** team only deployed a cavalry battalion in the Massachusett. Once the war started, it would be no match for them.
"General Vladimir, I need to ask Moscow for advice and the Tsar's downfall will make a decision!" Annuchin said at last.
"But, this will lead to a missed opportunity!" Lieutenant General Vladimir insisted.
"General, I said, please tell Moscow first and listen to me!" Annuchin said with a frown. He is the governor of East and West Siberia, and Lieutenant General Vladimir should listen to him.
"Okay, Governor, I'm waiting for your good news!" Vladimir had to compromise. Although he controlled the army, he was only Annuchin's assistant. If Annuchin tripped him up, he would not have thought of transferring back to Moscow.
When Annuchin sent the news back to St. Petersburg, it also sparked debate within Tsarist Russia. Tsar Nicholas II believed that this was a great opportunity and asked the army to take action immediately and put Mongolia under Russian rule. However, his decision was strongly opposed by important officials headed by Prime Minister Sergei Vette. The reason is very simple. Now Russia's money, including the loans obtained from Britain and France, has been invested in the construction of the Siberian Railway. Now the Ministry of Finance cannot afford to support a war at all. Moreover, this is different from the time of the war planned by the Pacific Alliance, and Russia is not prepared. The ministers are unwilling to take this risk.
The fierce quarrel lasted for three days, and in the end, Tsar Nicholas II stubbornly issued an order to attack. However, he assured the cabinet ministers that this was just a low-intensity military conflict. Russia would not declare war on China, and relying solely on the East and West Siberian army, it would be able to occupy Mongolia before spring came. After spring, it was enough for Russia to prepare for war.
The cabinet ministers had no choice but to agree. They also had strong confidence in the Russian team, thinking that the Russian team could easily defeat the Central Team deployed in Mongolia and easily occupy Mongolia.
After receiving the order from Tsar Nicholas II, Annuchin, the Governor of East and West Siberia, immediately ordered an attack. Lieutenant General Vladimir immediately issued an order to attack the Russian 6th Cossack Cavalry Division and the 75th Infantry Division, which had been stationed in Chikto. The two divisions had a total of more than 16,000 people. They set out from Chikto and braved the wind and snow to attack the southern city of Buying and Shop.
The Making and Sales City is a border city in northern Mongolia, which is an important border town between China and Russia in the Qing Dynasty. In 1727 (the fifth year of Yongzheng), China and Russia signed the Treaty of Brenski (The Treaty of Chaktu) and China and Russia traded. According to the treaty provisions, the two countries took the Chaktu River as the boundary, and Chaktu, Hebei was assigned to Russia. The Qing Dynasty built a new town in Henan, which was a Sino-Russian trade land, so it was named "Making and Sales City".
As a major trade place between China and Russia, tens of thousands of people live here all year round, which does not include the merchants gathering here every year. Although China and Russia have tense relations, it does not affect the trade between the two countries. Therefore, it is still prosperous. However, in winter, due to the snow and ice, a large number of merchants have returned to the mainland, leaving only a small number of people stationed here in the shopping and sales city. In order to protect this important border town and after overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, the Imperial Army deployed a cavalry battalion here, namely the 4th Battalion of the 9th Cavalry Brigade of the Third Cavalry Army. The brigade of the 9th Cavalry Brigade is located in Darhan, one hundred kilometers south. Other troops are scattered and do not belong to the northern Mongolia area.
In winter, the narrow Chaktu River has iced, and pedestrians can easily walk through the ice. The thick ice layer can even ride a horse. However, the ice surface is smooth and if you don’t want to fall, it’s better to be honest. Chaktu is only two kilometers away from the city of Buying and Sales. If it were summer, a few minutes of cavalry would be enough, but now, they have to walk south with one foot deep and one foot shallow.
"Squad leader, look at the north, there are so many people. What do the Russians want to do?" On the low wall of the business city, the soldiers in a squad on duty suddenly screamed. The dense Russians appeared in the north of the Chaktu River, and stepped onto the ice and headed south.
"Huzi, hurry up and sound the alarm. Everyone should take their place. The Russians are going to attack us!" the squad leader shouted.
"Yes!" The soldiers of the entire squad immediately took action. The main personnel of the Third Cavalry Army were all Mongolians. After systematic training, they had become brave and qualified cavalrymen.
"Dang! Dang! Dang!" The alarm bell on the city wall was ringing. The bitter north wind sent the bell to all parts of the trading city. Whether it was the garrison or the residents here, they all came out of the warm houses and looked at the city wall in surprise. Once the alarm bell was ringed, it meant that an enemy was attacking!
"Did the Russians call?" Everyone couldn't help but think of this question.
"A dog-good old Russian, he really came to attack. Immediately, he went to the brigade department and the Kulun power generation department!" Dong Jiarong, the battalion commander of the 4th Battalion of the 9th Cavalry Brigade, ordered.
"Yes, battalion commander!" The communications soldiers immediately ran out to send a telegram. The other soldiers of the 4th Battalion also took their weapons and rushed to the city wall, preparing to resist the Russian attack.
"Turgenev, it seems that the Chinese are prepared! However, they only have one thousand people and are no match for us at all!" Major General Mihayer, the commander of the Russian 75th Infantry Division, said very easily.
"Hmph! I heard that they are cavalry battalions, but I don't know if they have the courage to fight a cavalry with our great Cossack cavalry!" said Major General Turgenev. However, in this ice and snowy environment, even the war horses could not gallop, let alone fight a regular cavalry battle.
Mihayer shook his head speechlessly. He really didn't know what that guy Vladimir was thinking. He actually asked for an attack in such a ghost weather. This made it impossible for his artillery to bring out, but he worked hard to bring out some small-caliber artillery. I wonder if these artillery were useful and whether it could suppress the Central Team in the city. If possible, he hoped that it would be summer to launch another attack. In that case, his troops could easily capture this place.
PS: The third update is coming! The fourth update will be updated in the early morning! Please subscribe, it’s the end of the month, don’t waste your monthly tickets for book friends! (To be continued. Please search for Astronomy, novels are better and faster!)